Slupik, Szymon

Silvair, CTO & Chair of the Mesh Working Group at Bluetooth SIG

Slupik, Szymon

Silvair, CTO & Chair of the Mesh Working Group at Bluetooth SIG

Biography

Serial entrepreneur with a strong engineering background. Today, he is a CTO and co-founder of Silvair, a company which enables manufacturers of LEDs, drivers, switches and sensors to make a smooth transition into the Internet of Things. As the CTO, Szymon is taking care of the product roadmap, as well as shaping the long-term technology strategy. He drove the development of Silvair Mesh, one of the first proprietary mesh solutions based on Bluetooth Smart, and soon became one of the leading contributors to the Bluetooth SIG’s Mesh Working Group. Since 2016 Szymon has been chairing the Bluetooth Mesh Working Group.

The new flavour of Bluetooth is the first global wireless standard designed with commercial lighting applications in mind. Aspiring to become a wireless equivalent of DALI, it is a comprehensive technology capable of meeting the most demanding requirements of today’s professional lighting systems. But this is also what makes the Bluetooth Mesh specification quite a complex document, addressing many of typical lighting features from the perspective of IT networks. As part of my presentation, I would like to go through its most important aspects to explain the major characteristics of this new wireless standard. I want to focus on practical issues relating to implementation and maintenance of smart lighting networks based on Bluetooth Mesh.

From architectural concepts and mesh networking principles to security and network management, I want to explain what the provisions of the specification mean for lighting manufacturers willing to integrate their products with wireless technologies. I will talk about how Bluetooth Mesh handles communication with sensors, how it deals with time and scenes, and what lighting models it supports. On the end-user side of things, I will discuss the key aspects of the provisioning process, describe the basics of wireless lighting control, and explain how the protocol can be used to provide a unique beacons-via-lighting experience.

What are the similarities and differences between the new version of Bluetooth and other low-power wireless communication technologies? What authentication and encryption solutions does Bluetooth Mesh support, and how secure the technology really is? What are the key differences between routing and flooding, and which of these techniques is better suited for lighting applications? How deep does the Bluetooth Mesh specification go and how much of development remains on manufacturers’ side? These are only some of the questions I want to answer during my speech. The Mesh Working Group, consisting of outstanding wireless technology and lighting industry experts, has put a great effort to ensure that Bluetooth Mesh delivers just what the industry needs to push connected technologies forward in the lighting environment. Now it’s time to show the world what Bluetooth Mesh is, how to integrate it with lighting products, and what opportunities it opens up for customers.